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These Cheesy Chicken Tacos with Spicy Ranch have soft fried flour tortillas, creamy cheese, refried beans, chili chicken, pico, & spicy ranch – you will love the balance of flavors in these tacos from the well-seasoned chicken to the fresh pico, to the savory cheese and beans, and then the creamy ranch slathered over the top of it all.

This recipe is simple enough for a weeknight, but flavorful enough to serve to guests. It’s a taco night upgrade that brings together familiar ingredients in a completely satisfying way. (And you know we love tacos at our house – we have some form of them every week! Click here to see all my Taco recipes.)

What Makes These Cheesy Chicken Tacos Stand Out

Soft fried flour tortillas provide the perfect base – warm, slightly crispy outside and chewy inside
Smooth Refried beans add a savory, creamy layer that grounds the flavor of the taco
Chili-garlic seasoned chicken brings a smoky richness to the tacos
Melted Monterey Jack cheese gives the taco that comforting, creaminess
Fresh pico de gallo brightens everything with a burst of acidity and freshness
Spicy ranch dressing ties the entire taco together with a creamy, tangy kick

Each element plays an important role in the overall balance: savory, spicy, creamy, and fresh.

Building the Cheesy Chicken Tacos with Spicy Ranch

These tacos are layered intentionally to deliver a complete bite every time. Start with a lightly pan-fried flour tortilla, then add cheese and cook until melted. Then add a thin layer of refried beans followed by the warm chicken. Finish with a couple spoonfuls of fresh pico de gallo and a generous slathering of the ranch. You will love how the flavors come together.

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Cheesy Chicken Tacos with Spicy Ranch

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Servings 8

Author Plum Street Collective

Ingredients

Spicy Buttermilk Ranch

1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup Cholula hot sauce (if you use a spicier hot sauce, reduce the amount)
2 teaspoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons dried chives
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt (like Lawry's)
1/8 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Chili-Garlic Chicken

2 lbs. chicken breast, diced
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup lime juice
3 cloves garlic, minced finely
2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Taco Ingredients

flour tortillas (I like the street taco size, but you can use any size)
1 can (15 oz.) smooth refried beans (Rosarita and a couple other brands have a "smooth" style of refried beans – if you can't find these, heat regular refried beans in the microwave with 1/4 cup of heavy cream and mix well until smooth)
2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, grated
pico de gallo (I buy this premade in the produce section)
extra lime juice for serving
minced cilantro for serving

Instructions

Homemade Spicy Ranch

To make, simply blend all the ingredients in a high-speed blender or food processor until smooth.
Pour into an airtight container (I like to use a glass jar with a lid), and keep in the fridge until chilled. Tastes best when chilled for at least 1 hour.
Tastes great stored for up to a week in the fridge, in an airtight container.

Chili Garlic Chicken

You can marinate this chicken overnight, but it also tastes great even with a short 15 minutes of marinating.
Place all the diced chicken in a large bowl or rimmed baking dish.
Pour the oil and lime juice, and the minced garlic over the chicken and mix well
In a small separate dish, combine all the dry spices – I like to mix these first so they are distributed evenly.
Mix them well then pour over the chicken. Use tongs (or your hands) to mix the dry spices into the chicken really well.
Cover and chill (for 15 minutes up to overnight).
Once chicken has marinated, place a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.
Pour the chicken and the marinade into the heated pan and sear the chicken, stirring often, until it's browned and cooked through.
Cover and set aside until ready to build the tacos.

Assembling the Tacos

Heat the refried beans in a microwave safe bowl for 2 minutes until steaming. Cover and set aside.
Place a large clean saucepan over medium heat. Once heated, spray with cooking oil and place 2-3 tortillas in the oil. Sear the tortillas for 1 minute on the first side, then flip over, and sprinkle with grated cheese.
Cover and cook until cheese is melted and tortillas are lightly fried.
Once cooked, remove from pan and layer each taco with heated refried beans, a scoop of chicken, lots of pico de gallo, and a huge slather of spicy ranch.
If desired, top with fresh lime juice and diced cilantro.
Enjoy!